Yves Charuest & Alanna Kraaijeveld. Saturday 4th November 7:30

Yves Charuest
Canadian saxophonist Yves Charuest has been involved in the Montreal jazz and improvised music scene in the 1980-90s with many musicians such as Michel Ratté, Jean Beaudet, Lisle Ellis, Jean Derome and Pierre Cartier in different groups and projects with whom he toured all over Canada.
Charuest played in Europe and in the USA as a member of the Peter Kowald Trio (1985–1990) with German bassist Peter Kowald and South-African drummer Louis Moholo. Charuest also collaborated on different occasional projects with Mathias Schubert, William Parker, Agustí Fernández, Nate Wooley, Georg Graewe, Roscoe Mitchell, Lê Quan Ninh, Dominic Lash, Mark Sanders and Steve Noble. Charuest presented solo concerts in Quebec and Europe, and worked with electroacoustic composers Jean-François Denis, jef chippewa and Jean Piché. Charuest is currently involved in long-term collaborations with several musicians and ensembles on the Montreal scene: Charuest-Caloia duo, Still (with Nicolas Caloia and Peter Valsamis), Foursided Circle (with Caloia, Lori Freedman and Josh Zubot), the Ratchet Orchestra, the Montreal/Toronto Art Orchestra and occasionally works with choreographer Susanna Hood and dancer Alanna Kraaijeveld.

Yves Charuest’s presence in the UK has been made possible with the help of the Conseil des arts et lettres du Québec and Quebec’s Ministry of International Relations.

“I articulated my improvisation style after seeing documentary Beware Mr. Baker. In it, Eric Clapton describes drummer Ginger Baker as being melodic. If I consider dance as visual music, my approach is similar to what Clapton said, as percussion evocative of melody. Even if it’s far reaching, as inspiration, it compels me. I’m always kind of dancing with rhythm in my head. It grounds many of my ideas, my choices. “

Kraaijeveld has participated in improvised performances with musicians Yves Charuest, Jean Derome, Joanne Hétu, and William Parker, among others. Her engagement with improvisation has been nurtured by ongoing collaboration with choreographer Susanna Hood. As a dance artist, she has notably worked with Louise Bédard (MTL), Dave St-Pierre (MTL), and (now defunct) Le Groupe Dance Lab in Ottawa, a ground breaking centre for choreographic research instigated by Peter Boneham in 1988. Alanna considers herself a close student of Linda Kapetanea and Jozef Frucek, co-developers of Fighting Monkey movement research: their approach to movement informs her own teaching practice greatly. Kraaijeveld teaches at institutions at home and abroad, and runs a training group
in Montréal where she explores less traditional training methodologies and formats.